GENERATIONS OF GOOD

India’s hilly terrain poses a challenge to capturing and retaining rainwater, which naturally runs off the hillsides as quickly as it falls, depleting the water table and leading to water scarcity in the region. To help ensure vital water resources are preserved in Rudana, a rural agricultural village just 80 kilometers from Rich’s Kala Amb factory, Rich’s funded the installation of two check dams in 2022. These types of rain harvesting projects are a simple but effective solution to replenish the groundwater supply and bring relief to villagers. 

Rich’s contracted Aastha Welfare Society, a non-government agency, to build two check dams. In one area, a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) check dam was constructed to collect water which is transported into the village for drinking and irrigation through an underground pipeline. Elsewhere in the village, a water pond check dam was excavated to create an area for rainwater to pool and gradually refill the water table. The projects were completed by the end of 2022, and each has the capacity to hold approximately 1440 kiloliters of water, and to be refilled up to 15 times in a season, giving villagers improved access to the precious water they need to grow crops and support their families.

With a focus on protecting the planet and minimizing their carbon footprint, f’real is reinventing the packaging of their wildly popular blend-it-yourself frozen beverages to give consumers an indulgent treat that not only tastes great, but also feels great because it encompasses the sustainable attributes they crave. 

As efforts to reduce or, eventually, eliminate single-use plastic sweep across Europe and Asia, and various states and municipalities within the US institute restrictions that impact operators, f’real is dedicated to developing a fiber-based replacement to the polypropylene cup. A new, environmentally-friendly cup made from natural fibers with a bio-based coating compatible with the rigorous demands of the frozen supply chain, dairy-based formulas, long shelf life and blending, is in the final stages of design validation. The new cup will be food grade, free from plastic and polyfluorinated substances (PFAs), recyclable and compostable (pending validation post-launch). 

Currently, the f’real team is working on the third revision to the cup design with project partner Footprint as this intricate redesign progresses toward a small-scale production pilot test later this year. When launched, the environmentally-friendly cups will yield significant savings in energy and reduce carbon emissions.   

We’re putting sustainability at the top of the menu. Delivering food that feels better because it comes from the right place and is made the right way. 

While Rich’s sustainable palm journey started earlier, in 2020 we were among the first food manufacturers in the US to establish rigorous standards for sourcing sustainable palm oil and palm kernel oil, one of our top five commodities. Working with upstream supplier partners, we’re ensuring that the palm is traceable and meets our NDPE standards: no deforestation, no peat and no exploitation. We encourage our suppliers to acquire the tools and abilities to trace palm, not just at the mill, but all the way back to the plantation. We want to know where and how it is grown. And we want to help protect the livelihood and welfare of the smallholder farmers who feed the global supply chain. 

Palm oil is the second largest contributor to Rich’s scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by engaging with suppliers to drive efficiency improvements.

As members of both RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and NASPON (North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network), Rich’s is driving education and awareness to increase the use of certified sustainable palm in North America.

We believe in harnessing the full value of food – and in helping more by wasting less. It’s why we’re ensuring excess food gets to those who need it most.

In the UK, we’re launching the Seconds Project. Like supermarkets selling boxes of broken cookies or wonky veggies, the Seconds Project offers perfectly imperfect products at a discount. Twice weekly, items are made available cheaper than in-store prices. Unsold products are donated to FareShare, the UK’s network of charitable food redistributors. These donations help fight hunger and reduce waste by distributing food to nearly 9,500 frontline organizations.

Our journey starts with diverting operational waste from landfill. It continues with keeping good food out of the trash. The Seconds Project is one more way we’ll reduce our food footprint as part of the 10X20X30 initiative – contributing to a shared goal to halve food waste by 2030.

We want to create a better tomorrow. It’s why, every day, we’re protecting our environment and showing up for our communities. And our commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable recently celebrated our progress with a Silver-level award for sustainability efforts, along with its 2021 Community Impact Award.

The Community Impact Award recognized our partnership with Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), a nonprofit urban farm. MAP is creating multiple waves of change – boosting youth employment and supplying the community with fresh, healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate food.

And during the pandemic, we secured funding for MAP’s Mobile Market Food Access Initiative. Supporting local food security, the initiative served over 1,500 people in need.

We’re stepping up to leave a lighter packaging footprint.

It’s a move we’re making because it’s right for the planet and right for our customers. Because we know they share our commitment to transforming packaging for the better.

At Rich’s UK, we’ve worked closely with suppliers to reduce plastic content in pastry trays and films. The expected material reductions are significant – over eight tonnes of plastic. Every year. The same weight as about 41,000 cinnamon rolls.

The trays are made from PET – a grade of plastic widely recycled in the UK – making them 100% recyclable. They also contain 75% recycled content – giving new life to old materials and promoting a circular economy.

Our approach to sustainable packaging is simple: use fewer materials, move to lower-impact options and more recycled content, and strengthen systems to close the loop.

We’re flipping the switch on how we power our facilities. Turning to renewables. Finding more efficient ways to work.

Since 2016, we’ve reduced emissions intensity by 17% and removed over 30,000 tonnes of carbon from the environment. Now, as we move to renewables, we’re finding new and better ways to electrify Rich’s. All to reach our goal to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 25% by 2025.

Across our network – China, Vietnam, India, the UK and the US – we’re harnessing the sun’s power with on-site solar panels. In Brazil, we’re leveraging sustainable hydropower. And in facilities around the world, we have started using wind energy guaranteed by Renewable Energy Certificates.

Change requires clear roadmaps. We’re creating a comprehensive renewable energy strategy and exploring Power Purchase Agreements to continue guiding our journey to lower emissions.